Escape from Death Row
by Wolves Crimson Tears
Summary: Keako, age sixteen, orphan, is kidnapped by team Urameshi is and forced into situations far beyond her control. In spite her fears of death, she tries to remain strong and silent about her scattered past. Though, her past is a myserty to even herself.
1. The World Trips, And I See All

**Mutt:** Yo, if any of you are aware, yes this is a rewrite of the original Escape from Death Row. I wrote that before I decided to change my username. It used to be Blackheartmoon. Well, you see, I was very unhappy with how I wrote it before, so now I'm trying again.

Now for the disclaimers...

**Disclaimer: I, Mutt, do not in any way shape or form own the show or comic Yu Yu Hakusho. And just for safety purposes, I do not own Maximum Ride. There are no characters or areas or naming of said book in this story, but some things may be eerily similar. **

Anywho, you'll see what I'm talking about. And if you haven't read the original of this story good for you. It was a **_disaster_**. Spelling errors, plot blanks, and _nothing_ made sense!

I have _got_ to stop talking!!!!

* * *

Have you ever wondered what it was like to fly? You know, to be up there, high above the clouds, and looking down on the world below. To feel so strong, so alive, and at peace. I have. I find myself looking up at the sky most of my days. Just watching birds swoop in and out around each other, their wings surging them through the air so effortlessly, so perfectly. 

How I envied them.

For as long as I can remember, I've found closure in watching the skies and admiring the birds. It seems to be the only thing keeping me sane after these long years. I am sixteen and living on my own. Right now, I'm just huddled around a tiny, insignificant fire gazing up at the night sky. Dreaming, desiring to escape the ground.

I'm tired of running.

I'm tired of hiding and scurrying off into the night. I'm sick and tired of just running and not having a home. Most of all, I've had enough of _them_. They have been on my tail for so long. Keeping me running. Never letting me rest.

I am always alert.

Always ready.

Unhealthily honed to react in an instant and be gone in a heartbeat.

That's what I was tired of. The fear and _them_.

I'll explain them later. If I have the chance. All that mattered was the calm that was ensnaring my senses. That and the diamond speckled infinite velvet sky above.

This was perfect.

_Rustle..._

My neck muscles tightened at the sudden obscure sound. I tried finding the source, but couldn't see anything. During the day, I had the vision of a hawk and yet, sadly, at night I was pretty much shit outta luck.

Rustle... Snap!

Dousing my small fire, I sprinted off to the side and limbered quickly up a tree. I pressed myself as close to the tree as I could while keeping a strong grasp on the branch below me, keeping me steady. Peering through the leaves, I tried to spot anyone, but all I saw was darkness. 

"You idiot, why don't you just shout into a megaphone we're out here?" The voice was none that I had ever heard. It was a male's voice. He sounded kind of angry.

"Shut it Shorty. Don't think I won't take you on right now." This voice sounded kind of dumb. Though, from what I learned is to never underestimate anyone.

"Will both of you shut up?" Another male shouted in aggravation. Then the sound of hitting echoed in the air.

I tried moving around to see better, but I couldn't see a thing! _Where are they? Where-_ Crack! Oops! I had accidentally snapped the branch below me! 

"What was that? Over here." Hurried footsteps sprang forth from my right, but I didn't stick around to see them. I leaped out of that tree and had started running before my feet even touched the ground. Adrenaline surged me forward as I heard them running after me. I couldn't tell how many there were because of the echo and confusion of the trees and leaves around us. There were more than two of them. That much I was sure of. And if I was right on who they were, then they were most definitely in a pack.

"This way!"

"Which way?"

"This way! Come on!"

I kept running. My feet pounding the earth, carrying me onward, as if my life depended on it. Hell, it did! _Trees. Trees. Trees. Creak. Ouch! Pointy rocks. _Here was my life. I'll reiterate. Running, hiding, and running more. Not exactly the life I wanted, or would have chosen, but here I am!

"Holy hell!" My feet carried me onward normally from momentum and yet the ground had vanished out from underneath me. I tumbled forward and rolled painfully down a steep hill covered in sticker plants and broken sticks. When I came to a stop, I could only lay there for a second and moan. _Oh, that hurt. _I noted in the back of my mind that my ankle was throbbing horribly and slowly realized it may be sprained.

"Over here! I know I heard something now!" They sounded really close. Man these guys were like hounds!

Closing out the pain in my ankle, I stood shakily at first and continued my fretful sprint. _Trees. Trees. Trees. Wait, is that a clearing? Oh, please be a clearing. I might be able to get away then. _Swift and shadowy, I caught some type of movement out of the corner of my eye. I turned to look and almost screamed in terror as I saw a cloaked man holding a sword lunging at me. Reacting at the last second, I ducked in an awkward tripping kind of way. I saw the blade swipe and miss my head by barely an inch.

Jumping to my feet, I dashed toward the opening in the trees. I was on the verge of tears as I heard the men behind me running at me feverishly. That man who attacked me was no one I had ever seen. He didn't even smell like them! Yet they wanted to kill me. They wanted me dead just like the others.

Why me? Why!

My escape was right in reach. I was safe. I could get away! I was going to live another day!

I leaped through the barrage of branches and leaves, a smile spread across my features despite the fear racing through my body. The sky opened up and seemed to continue onward like some expansive deep violet ocean. I couldn't take my eyes off it.

Then I looked at the ground.

"On no!" The ground cut off into a steep, jagged cliff just a mere seven feet from where I was currently running. I stumbled and panicked, trying to stop myself from hurtling over the edge and plummeting into the darkness below. There was no way to see the bottom of the cliff. It seemed to go on forever. My heart sank as I searched valiantly for some type of escape off the ledge. Sadly, I was trapped in a corner. The ground was in a peninsula shape. Only air surrounded me on either side but behind.

No.

My pursuers were all that stood between my freedom and me.

Turning around, I stared at them with emotionless eyes. I refused to show any amount of fear. I noticed that there were only four of them. Glancing quickly at the stars, I tried to think of a way to take them out. The odds were against me.

One of them opened his mouth to speak. It was the male with gelled hair. He smirked at me. "You're a quick one. I didn't think you'd get this far." I just stared at him blankly while my ankle hurt horribly. "Now, you're in some big trouble. So you have to come with us." He saw how I was refusing to budge, so he formed a cocky smile. "It's quite simple. Either you come with us or you jump." I knew he wasn't seriously thinking I would consider jumping.

Rethinking what he said a few times, I replied casually, "Not much of a choice." He just stared at me.

The redhead cleared his throat suddenly. "It doesn't have to be like this you know. Just come with us. Everything will be all right."

Who did they think they were? They think they can just chase me down and expect me to come with them? Yeah right. When pigs fly!

As I looked them over a few more times, I still had no idea who they were. I've never seen them before so… how can they know me? And why are they after me? They didn't look like they were in league with _them_.

"Who are you guys and what is it that you want from me?" I asked carefully. Keeping a careful gaze on them, I found my attention continuously being dragged back to the shorter crimson-eyed male. He seemed to have the fiercest look of them all.

"Who we are is of no concern to you, and as far as what we want with you. Well, you have to come with us." Okay the guy with gel is _really_ starting to get on my last nerve. It was his freaking cockiness!

I glanced at them then to the sky. The night sky looked so inviting. It called to me. Beckoning me to be with it.

"Hey, are you ignoring us?" The man with orange hair had such an annoying voice. It hurt my overly sensitive ears.

I looked at them once again as I made up my mind. My heart rate seemed to pick up from the excitement. "Have you ever wondered what it would be like to fly?" They looked at me funny. I guess that was a serious mood killer to the tense situation. "You know, just to be up there in the sky." I feel like I'm repeating myself. Finally, I just looked at them simply. I tried to play an innocent smile as I stood straight and said, "Fine."

They seemed to relax a great deal and then the redhead stepped toward me. "Very good," he said. His eyes looked so kind, but I wouldn't fall for it. I wasn't sticking around for _him_ anyway.

Taking a step back, I held out my arms and felt myself tip backwards.I heard them shout in surprise and the redhead even attempted to reach out to grab my hand. It was too late. I was already plummeting down into the darkness far beyond reach. 

As the wind whistled and whipped passed my ears, I could only smile pathetically at the irony of it all. I felt like a young fledging falling with premature wings. It seemed so unfair. Yet, how my death was being carried out seemed…oddly relaxing.

"You stupid girl!" they shouted at me. "How could you jump? I wasn't serious!" I could no longer distinguish their outlines through the darkness and I could hardly hear them anymore. It was just me and the descending sky far, far above.

A strange feeling flooded my senses as I closed my eyes, blocking the image of the sky. It was icy. As if a cold gauntlet had my heart gripped in a death lock. It clenched down painfully and I couldn't help but cry.

I was crying from the irony. I was crying because I was going to die. I was crying because I didn't have wings! Then the pain shifted to a type of blissful haze. A warm blanket seemed to cover my senses and I cried harder, but they were no longer tears of bitterness and fear. They were of happiness. Peacefulness. Tranquility.

When I died, I realized, I would be in the sky forever.

Then something hit me. Something hit me with such a painful force I thought my head was going to shatter from the impact. It struck the back of my head with a starburst flair and my world was starting to fade. This was it. I must have been dieing. The sky was getting darker and fainter. The pain didn't let up as I started to slip from reality.

One thought ran across my mind as I went out: _Is death supposed to hurt like this?_


	2. Trapped Behind Fake Walls

**Mutt: **Just because I feel like it, I posted the second chapter. Leave me alone... Reviews are welcome! I would like to know what I did wrong or what I did well, and flames are welcome as well. Hell, all opinons are welcomed!!!

* * *

_Okay, my head still hurts._ Are you still able to feel pain after death? Opening my eyes slowly, I looked around groggily. My head was pounding somewhat as a headache seemed to wane. "Hello?" 

Um, okay. I was in a dark room with my wrists and ankles shackled to a cold, stone wall. The ground was cold and wet under my feet and I dared myself not to question why it was wet. Still recovering from a waning pain in my head, the gears weren't turning. I was completely lost.

"Am I in Hell?"

"Here chicky, chicky." An ugly-ass monster with three horns on his forehead walked over to me. He towered over me a great four feet over so. That meant he had to be somewhere around eight or nine feet tall. His skin was covered with some patches of scales while the rest was just a pale greenish leather texture.

"Such fine skin," he growled as he moved a clawed finger along my cheek. "A little bruised, but you'll taste just as good." His bluish green eyes looked me over closely, maybe a little _too_ close. I found I could move my legs just somewhat so I brought one up and kicked him in the crotch. "_Oof! _You little wench!" He struck me hard in the stomach, knocking the wind out of me. I took it, though. I knew how to take a hit.

Actually, back in my preteens, it was then that I found I could do things other kids my age couldn't. My speed and agility matched that of an Olympic runner and my strength could outdo a man three to four times my size. Also, my resistant to great amounts of pain couldn't be matched and I healed wickedly fast. So the monster's punch was already wearing off, but I let myself limp forward anyway.

My dark bang hung in front of my eyes and I listened for the door to shut. It slammed shut causing a painful echo to ring in my ears, but I could distinctively hear the monster groan in pain all the way down the hall.

The score so far: Me, one point. Monster, zilch.

I smiled slyly but to my utter disgust I felt a tear slide down my cheek and drip off my chin. My throat started to clench shut and I found I couldn't breathe very well. I was trying in vain not to cry, but it was hard. The situation seemed pretty hopeless and my death looked close. What's worse was I couldn't see the sky now. I was cut off from the sky.

I couldn't see the sunlight. I was trapped in the dark, trapped inside myself.

There was no wind in this dungeon. No fresh air. Not even the slightest gentle breeze. The scent was dingy and stale. Nothing like the outside.

Nothing compared to the outside.

I was trapped.

I was going to die.

As my conscious began to drift, I thought back to the cliff. I tried to picture those strange men again. They seemed dead serious on capturing me. The redhead even tried assuring me they weren't going to hurt me. Was it smart of me to jump? Did I make the wrong decision?

"Here chicky, chicky." That's what that monster said, right? What in earth did he mean by that?

Everything, my worries and fears, seemed to disappear once I closed my eyes and fell into a pitiful slumber.

"Intruders! Kill them!" I was shocked out of my sleep by shouting and fighting outside. Sounds of exploding, kicking, punching, and bodies hitting the floor sounded through my door. My ears perked because I could pick up everything. Shouts, slashes, metal clanging against metal, and someone's flesh was torn. The sickening wet sound of it made my stomach especially queasy.

"She's in here! Spirit Gun!" A blue glow erupted from the crevices in the door and it suddenly exploded! I tired to cover my head as wood chunks flew at me, smacking the wall with hollow thuds. When I finally looked, I saw one of the guys from before standing in the doorway. It was the gelled haired guy!

_How did he do that? Is he carrying explosives? What kind of teenager carries explosives?_ I panicked somewhat as he came near me. He grabbed my shackles and started to undo them. His eyes were on the chains, not on me. That was his first mistake.

"There," he said triumphantly as he unhooked the last chain. I darted off the wall a second before the last chain even hit the floor. "Hey! Get back here!"

Like that was going to happen, seriously. I was a few feet from the door when a giant figure blocked it. Skidding ungracefully to a stop, I tripped and fell back on my butt. My eyes widened at the sight of the monster in front of me. It was at least seven feet tall, incredibly obese, with four arms and one huge bulging scarlet eye. The thing's mouth was massive and had these huge fangs sticking out; they seemed almost too big to even fit.

Suddenly, it lunged at me. Claws extended, mouth open, and it roared.

I couldn't move. I was frozen! All I could do was whimper and shake as it was about to kill me.

"Gyah!" It suddenly ceased in attacking and roared in immense pain. I blinked a few times, confused, and then saw the tip of a blade sticking out of its belly.

With a sickening wrenching sound, the sword twisted and sliced the monster horizontally. I watched in horror as the monster's top half slid off sluggishly and landed with a sick sloshing sound in front of me. Behind it, I saw the shorter spiky haired guy. His sword in his grasp as the blade dripped with some slick purple liquid.

That purple stuff was the monster's blood.

I struggled to keep from vomiting as I darted passed the body and the sword wielding maniac. Why they were helping me wasn't clear, but I knew they were the ones after me in the first place. So, as far as I was concerned, the monsters and the men were my enemies.

"Spirit Gun!" the strange teen shouted again. I nearly screamed as a blue beam shot passed me. For an instant, I thought he was trying to hit me, but when a monster lunged out at me and it hit _it_, I realized the monster was the target.

_I'm crazy. I'm insane. I'm in due to be carried off to the funny farm!_ My legs were rubbery as I continued to run, trying to keep my view shielded away from the gore around me. Oh lord, if only you could see the gore. No, I wasn't not that mean to ever wish for someone to see this! Even the strongest willed man would be subdued to nightmares for weeks upon seeing the dismembered bodies around me.

I know I was.

Off in the far corner, I saw what seemed to be an opening. I got closer and it was a stair passage! All I had to do was go up the stairs and get out of this place. I'd figure it out from there. "Yes!" Then out of nowhere, an unknown force pulled me backwards, knocking me off my feet and onto my butt. I was dazed for a few seconds, confused on how I was yanked backwards. When I looked at my stomach, I saw leather straps wrapped around my torso. They wrapped all the way around my body and I finally realized there was something holding onto it.

It was a vine. A thick green vine.

"What?" Glancing back, I followed the length of the vine and saw the redhead holding the base in his hand. He was holding it as if it were some type of whip! "Let me go!" I yelled at him, furious, and grabbed the vine with both hands.

"Ah!" Throwing the vine away from me I held my hands against my chest and bit down on my lip to keep from screaming more. Holding my hands out slightly, I unclenched them and saw blood stream down my palms, along my arms, and plop onto the ground in small puddles. There were these grisly bloody holes in my palms. "How?" Looking at the vine again, I saw it was covered with thorns. They had to be at least four inches long. How had I not noticed them? I scolded myself for being so daft.

The redhead tugged on the vine and said, "Come on. We don't want to hurt you."

Shaking with fury, I bit harder down on my lip and grabbed the vine again. Pain flared in my hands, blossoming and rushing through my arms like wildfire, but I used my anger to carry me onward. I pulled and yanked on the vine. I wrenched it around, twisting it, until it finally broke off. Blood streamed down my chin. I slowly pulled my teeth out of my lip. Getting to my feet, I ignored the need to care for my wounds and headed for the stairs.

Before I touched foot on the steps, someone actually _picked_ me up off the ground and threw me over their shoulder. Just as I was about to shout something nasty at them, a pair of crimson orbs danced before my eyes and I was out.

My head was throbbing again, a slow shallow ebb, but it was the only thing that marked I wasn't dead. Again. _All right, where am I now?_ Sitting up slowly, I ignored how sore my body felt then looked around. I was sitting in a medium-sized bed with white fluffy sheets placed in the center of an empty fourteen by fifteen room with bare white walls.

I was getting twitchy and claustrophobic as I sat there. As big as this room may have been to a normal person, it was freaking tiny for me and I just hated rooms in general. Sweat began to bead up along my brows, I could feel it. Getting out of bed, I resisted the urge to start pounding on the walls. I wanted to scream and shout, rant and cry, and then curl into a ball and die in the corner.

My mind was racing as I walked toward the door. I registered every little sound made around me, every smell, and every object. From what I could tell, this wasn't the bad place. I was still safe. For the most part, anyway. As I reached for the doorknob I saw it turn by itself and nearly jumped out of my skin. I backed away from the door as it opened and stared at who stood there.

It was the redhead.

I kept my face expressionless, but I knew my eyes glowed brightly with the white-hot hatred I held passionately for him and the others. They harmed me. They captured me. I would make them pay.

He held up an idle arm and gestured behind him. "If you will come with me," he said. "There is someone who wishes to speak with you." His voice was polite and soft. I said nothing as he stared at me. He looked straight a me, his face calm and composed with sparkling emerald eyes. I found it difficult to look way from those eyes.

Taking a deep breath, I crossed my arms and mumbled a reply, "Fine."

"Good," he said with a gentle smile. Then he turned and started walking down an empty hallway. I followed him, but I didn't go because he asked me to. I went because I wanted to know what the heck was going on! Oh, and to get out of that stinking room. Bleh.

We walked in silence down an array of different halls. The walls were all bare of anything. There wasn't even a single crack or smudge. With these sharp eyes, I could spot fine detail and remember anything I saw. I took precaution to memorize every hallway we walked down. Taking care to spot any windows or ventilation shafts. Just in case I needed to run again.

The redhead's shoes echoed off the sleek marble floor, but my bare feet barely made a single sound. I tried to remain as quiet as I could. Maybe if I remained silent, he'd forget I was here and I would be able to slip down a different hall and get away.

I was getting so used to the idea and the silence that when he spoke I nearly leaped out of my skin. "I'm sorry for how me met earlier," he admitted calmly. I recalled the meeting on the cliff, how they chased me, and what happened in the dungeon with my hands.

"You don't seem that sorry to me," I replied with venom dripping off my tongue. He was pretty good at keeping his composure. It seemed as if he didn't care I was being rude. Or hardly talking at all. As if I cared if he was offended.

"You have the wrong idea," he started, "I assure you." It annoyed me how he didn't face me when talking. He just kept on walking and speaking in that unnaturally calm voice.

Glancing down at my hands, I saw they were bandaged, but they were bloodied up already. A new flare of anger rose up in me. "Yeah, the holes in my hands are _really_ convincing." He flinched just slightly, but said nothing. "I mean, if you wanted to get a message across to me, this was really the sure way to make me trust you. Great job, dumb ass." I tried to see if I could make him mad, but nothing was happening. So I asked the need-to-know question. "Why did you guys kidnap me?"

I didn't even know these guys. They shouldn't even know me! Well, I guess a lot of people don't know their kidnappers. At least I hope they don't, but I digress.

As we turned another corner, he replied, "I'm not the one you should be asking that." Right as he finished, we stopped in front of some of the biggest doors I had ever seen in my entire life! I mean, these things were huge! "Come in." With only a small push of his right arm, the guy had opened the mighty doors. I was sure my eyes were three time their size by then.

When I didn't move, he ushered me inside and I could only stare in marvel at the massive room. The door closed behind me and I glanced back at the redhead. He didn't move, but he was staring passed me at something. I looked at what he was staring at and saw a single work desk with piles of papers on each side. There was a cushion swivel chair behind the desk, but it was turned so the back was facing me.

In front of the desk, in the center of the room, was a single wooden chair. No doubt I was for me.

Something then caught my eye to the right. I peered out of the corner of my eye and saw the other three. The shorter one was glaring at me as he leaned against a marble pillar. His crimson eyes stuck out from his dark clothing.

Crimson was such an odd color for someone to have. Very rare. So were my eyes. Violet. So maybe we had something in common.

I shuddered at that thought.

Oddly enough, the orange-haired guy and gel-head were whispering to each other as they sat on the ground. If I wanted to, I could have heard what they were saying.

"Don't touch me." I glanced back at the redhead. His hand was resting just above my shoulder. Pushing his hand away from me, I said, "I hate it when people touch me." I was incredibly paranoid and human contact just made me twitchy. He didn't say anything as he walked passed me to stand by his friends. I guessed they were friends anyway.

"Come here," someone said suddenly. I blinked then looked around. The only ones in the room were the four by the door. Unless… "I said come here." It was coming from behind the chair. The voice seemed to be of male descent, but it was slightly high. So maybe a female? Or a young male.

I walked toward the chair slowly with my attention half on the four on my right and half on the door at my back. They weren't going to catch me off guard again. When I was close to the chair, I noticed how much brighter it was here than anywhere else in the room. I looked up and saw why.

"The sky." My eyes were wide as I stood agape staring up at the giant dome glass window. The sky was crystalline clear with not a single cloud in its azure haven. A few birds flitted in and out of view. I watched them with raptor eyes. Their movements quick and swift to a person with normal eyes, but I could break down their movements to slower speeds.

"Take a seat please Keako," the strange voice asked.

I was about to sit when I realized what he or she just said. "How do you know my name?" I was caught between being angry and confused. Just being that was making me frustrated! No one was explaining anything!

Then the chair swiveled around and a baby sat there in the seat. He was dressed in a little blue outfit with a big blue hat was on his head initialed with the word Jr. on it. Oh, and a pacifier to boot. "Because I am the almighty ruler of the Sprit World, Koenma."

I sat there for a long time. Just sitting there. And staring. Then finally, "Are you freaking kidding me?!"


	3. Bury the Shovel and Close My Eyes

**Mutt:** I got a review! Sweet! And I posted this story only a half hour ago (check the date. If this is still up ina few month's time, don't quote me here, dur). Now, I'll post the next chapter once I get five reviews. Sorry, but I would really like to know if people are reading and not just skimming. You know?

Reviews are welcome! Please enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho.**

* * *

"Calm down Calm down," he assured me calmly with an idle wave of his little hand. "You are a guest here in the Spirit World." The pacifier was bobbing in his mouth at every word he said. I didn't know whether to laugh out of amusement or to shout in anger. 

Were they seriously pulling my leg or something?

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions," he guessed as he cupped his hands and sat back. As much as I wanted to I didn't say a thing. "Keako, you do have questions. Now is the time to ask them."

Crossing my arms, I sat back and crossed a leg over the other. "Yeah. Suppose I have a few." I tried to let the sarcasm flow.

For some reason, as I sat there in the sunlight, I felt strangely empowered. I took a second to look at my clothes. My pants were torn so badly they looked like shorts now and were plastered horribly with blood and dirt. Goodie. Then there was my shirt. If you could even call it a shirt anymore.

I was adorned in nothing but rags now.

Yet I felt like I could take out an army.

I felt confident.

That was strange.

He cleared his throat then looked straight at me. "To begin, you're here strictly for safety purposes."

"Huh, that was seriously unexpected," I replied quickly.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Shrugging, I gestured toward the fearsome four in the corner idly with my head. "Well, them for starters. They seemed to have something other than safety on their minds." I lifted my hands a little to show the bloody bandages. "Your rescue patrol needs to go back to training."

"Some things got out of hand," he defended. "I failed to inform them why they were sent out to capture you."

"Yeah, that would have been nice information to tell them. You might have spared me the couple heart attacks and wounds."

"You never had a heart attack," the gelled haired guy retorted.

I glanced at him. "I was being sarcastic retard." He glared back at me.

"Enough you two," Koenma said before gel-head could say anything.

"I'm getting a headache," I admitted finally with a sigh. Nothing was being explained, and if nothing was going to happen then… "Look, if nothing's going to happen then will you kill me already? Or, whatever you're planning to do with me."

"No one is planning on killing you. We have you here to keep people from killing you." Koenma sat high in his chair, his chin barely above the desk. "You see, I know everything about you, Keako. Who you are. Where you came from. What you are. Why you are running."

I was in the midst of glaring various sizes of daggers at him. For him to declare such lies. No one knew about me. I made sure of that. Wherever I went, I made sure not to leave a trace of my being. I made sure to remain a shadow in the corner of peoples' eyes. No one ever heard my voice or saw my face.

To everyone in the world, I was nothing. That was the way I liked it.

Something clicked suddenly. An abstract word Koenma had said that made no sense.

What I was.

What was I?

"When you say what I am. What, pray tell, do you mean?" I hated how curious I sounded, but I had to know. Were these guys in league with _them _or were they just some crack-pot loonies trying to sell me some major bull? "Obviously I'm human. There's nothing to know."

"This chick is delusional," I heard gel-head whisper to the orange haired guy.

I was going to say something, but Koenma interrupted me. "Keako, where you're running from. Do you remember anything about it?" When I didn't say anything, he tried again, "Do you remember your parents at all?"

Clenching my fists, I held them down in my lap as I curled slightly in my seat. I had no parents. I've been running for all this time alone because I knew I had to. I never questioned it. It was instinct. When I was ten some men showed up and tried to capture me. They said they had orders to return me home. I knew this home they were talking about meant death, so I ran.

Anything before my tenth year was a mystery to me. It was all fuzz. Whenever I tried remembering, all I got was darkness. Sometimes a few flickering images like cage bars and needles, but none of it made sense to me. Well, I got these other things. Small episodes of pain.

I wasn't about to tell all of this to some guy I didn't know.

"Keako, I need you to answer my questions."

"What if I lie?"

"Would you?"

"Depends."

"Do you remember your parents?"

"No."

"Do you know if they were killed?"

"I don't know."

"Do you remember where you came from?"

"Not really."

"How about where you were born? A home town?"

"Hells if I know."

"How about friends? Do you have any?"

"I prefer being alone."

"Do you fear being found out?"

"What's it to you?"

"Do you have a home?"

"Would I tell you?"

"Have men been following you?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Is that why you don't have a home?"

"If I said yes, would you shut up?"

"Do you remember anything about being harmed? Abused? Tortured?"

I looked up at him, my eyes wide and pleading. I wanted him to stop. These things he was asking. They were too much! From what I did know, things I found out, I wanted to keep them buried. If I forgot about my past, then it should probably stay forgotten!

"Stop asking me these questions! I'm the one who needs things answered!"

Koenma stared at me for a long time. He seemed to be thinking things over. His expression was blank, but I could see the trouble in his eyes. For a baby he was pretty easy to read. "Think hard, Keako. I know only little of where you were from. You got away from there somehow." I closed my eyes, trying to block everything he was saying. He knew nothing! "How did you get away, Keako? How are you here today?"

Strange images flickered behind my eyelids. I watched them in awe. They seemed so familiar. So real.

Wait…

I knew these images.

"I think…I flew," I answered softly. Opening my eyes, I looked up at the sky. What I said was absurd, but that was what the images were telling me in my mind. "That can't be, though. Humans can't fly. I must have been falling. Falling for a long time. Like off a cliff."

"A cliff?" One of Koenma's eyebrows quirked slightly.

"Yeah. I think someone was with me." I closed my eyes again and thought hard. I tried to bring up the image again. Nothing happened. "I don't know. I can't remember."

"Do you know how old you were?" Koenma asked.

I couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. "You know, I'm not even sure how old I am now." That was the truth. I just picked a day and stuck with it. Not like it mattered, I suppose. "But I must have been young. Really young. Five maybe? Just a guess."

There was silence for a long time and I could just sense the tension and awkwardness building in the air. The hair on my arms were beginning to stand on end and I realized if someone didn't say anything I was going to take the whole room out!

"Keako, I'm not sure how to tell you this without you freaking out," the toddler started.

Now I laughed. "Look, not too long ago I leaped off a cliff, was knocked out, captured by ugly horrible monsters, and kidnapped again! If I haven't broken down by now, trust me, I'm perfectly fine!" _Pft, fine my ass. I'm moments away from having a mental breakdown! Those monsters were horrible… _

"Those monsters you encountered before are called demons. Demons are-"

"I know what demons are pacifier breath," I cut him off stiffly. I just wanted him to get to the freaking point! "Now, on with it! What's so amazing that I have to know?"

He took a deep breath and sighed. When he seemed to compose himself, he looked at me seriously and said, "Keako, you are a demon." I heard what he said loud and clear, but for some reason the words just weren't sinking in.

He wasn't done, though. "A half-demon for that matter. It took a while to pick up even the faintest signature from you. You were severely below the radar. That's why it took us a long time to track you down."

I moved my lips for a little while, trying to form some type to words to express myself. My mind was drowning in the amount of questions I needed to ask. Finally, I asked, "Me? Me? I'm a demon? Me? There's no way. You're off your freaking rocker."

He shook his head as if he were disappointed in me. "I knew you'd freak out. I'd expected a little more from you, though."

"Screw you! Now stop yanking me around! What am I really here for?"

"You're here for protection," he replied quickly. "And I'm not _yanking_ you around. You, Keako, are a half breed. You are part crow demon and part human."

All the blood flowed to my head in an instant. "Shut up!" I glared at him and growled, "Stop lying to me! I'm not a crow demon!"

"You're only half," he corrected.

"I don't care!" Now I was standing, my legs shaking underneath me as I clenched my hands into lethal fists again. "This is not something you want to bullshit me about. I've always dreamed of flying, and this is just like you spitting in my face by saying this." When he didn't say anything I smirked and gestured to my back. "All right binky boy. If I'm at least _half_ crow, then where in the hell are my freaking wings?"

He was about to say something, but I interrupted him again by letting out a choked scream. I cradled my head roughly with both hands as a tremor of pain hammered into my skull. Hot searing pain ruptured me of all senses and I keeled over onto the hard marble floor. Abstract voices whispered behind the keening of my mind.

_Dropping. Wings. Falling. Project Wing. Men. Cages. Needles. Pain! _These were only the few words I could make out as more voices joined in with the haunted mantra. I couldn't decipher them over the sound of someone screaming.

It was me.

I was the one screaming.

"What's going on?" The voice belonged to the obnoxious sounding orange haired guy. "Is she okay? Hey! Get up! Stop screaming! Are you okay?"

_Stop talking!_ I was sick of his voice so I punched blindly into the air, trying to hit him.

"Ow! Hey!" This voice belonged to gel head.

When the pain ebbed away, I looked up at everybody through slit lids. "That hurt." I hated these episodes. They were always the same. Weird whispers from God knows where. I had no idea what they were all about.

"Keako, what was that?" Koenma asked. His eyes were wide with concern.

"Just an old childhood illness," I replied with a slight slur. His guess was as good as mine to tell the truth on what those strange things were. Sitting up, I scratched my head and looked at him funny. "Do you have some weird obsession with continuously saying my name? Speaking of which, how long have you been following me to even know my name and all of this crap?"

The others, except Hiei, were standing around me. Their eyes shown bright with as much concern as Koenma's had. What did they care if I was hurting to not? What was it that I mattered to them? Nothing. That's what mattered. I wouldn't care if they were hurting. Truth me told, I wanted them to hurt right now.

Especially redhead. He hurt my hands!

"Does it hurt to live alone?" Koenma asked suddenly.

"Huh?" I asked unintelligently. It took me a second to realize he totally ignored my question. That baby had balls.

He shuffled through some papers and stamped them quickly. "Keako, I hereby order you to remain with Yusuke and the others until we find out everything about where you came from and who these men are that are after you." After a few more paper shuffles and stampings, he set them aside and looked at me. "It'd also be best for you to remain there until your memory fully returned. I've made the arrangements here so everything is all right."

After a few seconds of awkward silence I was on my feet and shouting at the top of my lungs. "Now you hold on just a minute! _No one _orders me to do anything! And who the hell are you to say what I will and will not do? I am _not_ staying with these guys! They tried to _kill_ me!"

"Are you done yet?" he asked after I huffed a few times.

"No."

"Too bad. And I'm Koenma, ruler of the Spirit World. I believe my say somewhat outweighs yours." I was shooting daggers again. He gave me a sympathetic look. "I'm only trying to help you, Keako. Can't you see that? These men who hurt you, they somehow messed with your demonic capabilities obviously. That would explain your wingless figure and faint energy signature. We're here to provide you protection from them harming you anymore."

Feeling exhausted with the whole situation, I sat down on the ground and held my head in my hands limply. I could feel another attack coming on, but it was hanging on the bridge of my mind. _Can I go to sleep now? Just let me be alone! I'm better off alone._

"Do you remember _anything_? Anything at all?"

More fragments of scenes flickered in my mind. Cages, needles, empty sunken faces of children. I saw the fear in their eyes. Blood, knives, IV packages. Men dressed in white lab coats. They were leaning over the children. Doing terrible, obscene things to them.

Then I saw my pursuers. The ones who've been hunting me down since I was ten, maybe even before then.

I knew the name of this place. I knew I should fear and avoid this place at all costs. My pursuers told me they wanted me back. They wanted me back so their masters could finish the job.

"Death Row," I whispered.

"What was that?"

Lifting my head a little, I peered at him through my raven black bangs. "I said Death Row. That's what they call it."

"Who's they?"

"The ones who want me back. They keep telling me they want me back so bad men can finish what they left undone." Making sure I had Koenma's gaze locked in mine, I continued, "Koenma, this deal about me being a demon is too farfetched. If you could only see my pursuers. They're not entirely human, but they're not demon either."

"Then what they?"

"From what I've seen in broken memories, some type of genetically created beings. Mutants, to be exact."

Koenma shook his head. "That can't be. There's no such thing."

"There is such thing. Over my travels, I've seen a lot of weird things." As I spoke, more memories seemed to emerge out of nowhere. "I know this much Koenma. Do not doubt me. You asked me what I remembered earlier. Well, I remember being subjugated to some kind of torture." I crossed my arms over my chest and held tight onto my shoulders. "I remember others. I'm not the only one."

We sat in silence for a long time. It seemed Koenma was thinking things over again. Finally, he said, "Go with Yusuke and the others for now. Just until we find something better for you." Not wanting to fight it anymore, I just nodded and stood. "I know admitting these things just now may have been painful, but it was for the best. There is something not right going on in the Ningenkai."

"Whatever."

"Kurama, Yusuke, Hiei, Kuwabara, take care of her," he addressed them with the order. "You may leave."

_Okay, redhead is Kurama. Gel-head is Yusuke. Ugly is Kuwabara. And creepy there with the sword is Hiei. Got it. _After I memorized my captors, I remained silent and vigilant. I didn't know whether to move or not so I just stood there. My shoulder started to tingle slightly. "Don't touch me." Glancing behind me, I saw Kurama standing there with his innocent emerald eyes.

He smiled calmly and let his hand fall. "We'll take you home now."

The air seemed to freeze in my throat as my heart skipped a beat.

I remembered him. _Him_. Those words. How I hated those words.

"We'll take you home now," his voice deep and malevolent, every word seeming to ring with the sound of funeral bells.

I shuddered on remembrance.

"Hello?" he sought for my attention. Looking up at him slightly, I didn't say anything. "Let's go." Worn thin and exhausted, I did not fight off his gentle grasp on my arm. Just this once I'd go with the flow.

I'd escape later.


	4. New Life, New Hope, New Lies

**Mutt:** Okay, I know I said I wouldn't post the next chapter until I get five reviews, but I'm just to anxious to post this for some reason. I have three reviews so far and I'm actually grateful I even have those. Please, though, people. If you do like this story, please review. It doesn't have to be much. Even if you say it sucks, I'd still be happy you even took the time to do that.

I sound absolutely patheitc, don't I? Darn...

Read and Review! Much thanks and there will be cookies next time!

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone other than Keako in this story. Other characters of mine will show up soon enough though...**

* * *

It all happened like a dream. One minute I was walking down a marble tiled hallway, trying to hang back as far away from the four in front of me, and then the next second I felt as if I were whipped through the air at high speeds then suddenly standing on soft, lush ground in the middle of a tree bordered clearing. 

My stomach felt as if it were going to come out my nose.

"I think I'm going to puke." I could only _hope_ I didn't sound as pathetic as I felt.

Kurama came up behind me with a sympathetic expression. "The portal needs some getting used to. After a few runs, you'll get the hang of it."

"I can taste my intestinal track." I looked at him grimly. Slightly, just slightly, I thought I saw his left eye twitch a little. This guy seemed damn near impossible to falter. I'd make it a habit to try and bug him as much as possible.

In fact, they were in due for some havoc.

They deserved it.

Looking around, I saw we were in the middle of a rather large clearing. Trees surrounded us from every direction, but it seemed they curved out behind the house. Speaking of the house. It looked like a simple, modest two-story white building. There was a porch with a two-seater swing. I'd probably be sleeping on that. Above the porch was a deck that reached just passed the front steps. There was a cool canopy thing on it to keep it cool on hot days.

Something told me these guys came here a lot. Like, a summer house.

Was it summer? Next time I had a chance, I would have to look at a calendar or something.

As I was staring off into space, Yusuke and Kuwabara walked toward Kurama and me. Kuwabara had this bizarre look on his face. Not really a fearful look, but an extremely confused expression. Kurama and Yusuke exchanged glances and I could plainly read their expressions. They both were totally lost at words with what to say. So I broke the silence.

"If you eat enough nickels, you'll go blind." All three just stared at me. I shrugged and explained, "You guys weren't saying anything."

"Well, it's not everyday we just shack up with a half-breed," Yusuke replied nervously.

My Gods! Were they truly this freaked out by me?

"Boo!" I jumped at them with my arms flailing. They didn't budge. "Nope, so you're not total pansies."

Kuwabara's face broke out into a beaming smile. "She's not so bad after all! She's actually kind of funny."

"If you give me a dime, I'll do a cool trick."

"Really?"

"No."

"Oh."

Now it was the three of us staring at him with odd expressions. Yusuke looked as if he were struggling to keep from punching the crap out of him, while Kurama just stood there and looked pretty. Something told me that's what he did most of the time.

He was the feminine one.

The pretty face.

The perfect body.

Something told me he was smart too.

I already hated him.

"Um, who's hungry?" Kurama asked suddenly. "I'll go make some dinner for us." He looked at me and asked, "What would you like?"

_And he freaking cooks! _Drool started to pool up on the inside of my mouth. As much as I disliked him, I wasn't about to turn down the offer of food. "Food," I said.

"What kind of food?"

"The kind you eat," Yusuke snickered. We both shot him a glare and he moved away sheepishly.

"I don't care what kind," I admitted. "It's been forever since I've had a decent meal." _Or _a _meal for that matter._

As he walked away, I sniffed the air and picked up a peculiar scent. Not one I've had a whiff of in a long while. "Are we near the ocean?" It was in the air. If I listened hard enough, I was sure I heard the rushing of waves.

Kurama and Yusuke exchanged smiles. Then they looked at me and said, "Come on."

"Let's show you around your new home," Yusuke finished.

Strange. He seemed a lot less annoying when he wasn't trying to kill me.

These guys were freaking bi-polar.

For about a half hour, the both of them showed me around the house. It wasn't much. There were enough rooms for all of us and three bathrooms. I wasn't able to see my room yet, though. Kurama said he wanted me to see that last. For the most part, they showed me the living room, kitchen, game room, library, and every bathroom.

There was a Jacuzzi tub in each one! I was going to take serious advantage of that. It's been many moons since I have had a dip in the tub.

When they were finished showing me the modest parts of the house, they finally allowed me to see my room. I told them I would probably not use it. Closed quarters made me jumpy and claustrophobic. Kurama just smiled and said, "You'll see. This room is different."

My room was on the second floor and at the end of the third hall. I was in the far back. Grand. Kurama stopped in front of my door and told me to close my eyes. I saw no point in it, but I did anyway just to humor him. I heard the door open and Yusuke walk in. Kurama held onto my elbow softly, I resisted to back away, and he led me inside slowly. What sounded like drapes opening had me all the more curious.

What was so special about this room?

"Has she seen the room yet?" Kuwabara asked from behind. "Oh. You're showing her now. Sorry."

After a few quick shuffles of drapes and what sounded heavy like furniture, Kurama released my elbow and said, "You can open your eyes now."

I opened my eyes, expecting to see a normal small room, but I was shocked to see something totally different. "Whoa." That's all I could say. The room was, well, it was big! The walls were a bright blue with fluffy white clouds. I thought that was rather childish until I watched them for a while. The clouds were actually moving! As I watched them, the clouds moved swiftly across the walls and ceiling as if the wind were guiding them. I looked at the ceiling and actually saw what must have been sunlight glowing through some of the clouds.

"How? How is it doing that?" I asked, my mouth still agape slightly.

Yusuke snickered as he leaned against one of the walls and tapped it. "Koenma knows about your little claustrophobia problem, so he ordered for the walls to be laced with a weather memory jinx."

"My room's been cursed?!"

"Not in a bad way. The time will change from night to day, and if you're lucky, it'll shift to match your mood, or even the weather outside."

I moved toward the wall and touched it. It felt hard and rough like a normal painted wall, but it's been changed. I saw the shadows of the clouds on the floor and I could have sworn I felt the warmth from the sunlight on my shoulders. "This is wonderful." Good thing I whispered it. I didn't want them to know I liked it.

Finally getting over the magic walls, I looked around the rest of the room. I had a king size mattress and even one of those drape things that shields the person inside. They were a silky, creamy white. In fact, everything in the room was a creamy white color. The bed covers, the bookcase, the door, the closet doors, the two chairs in the corner and the small table. Wait, I have a beanbag chair! That was white too.

"Um, why is everything white?" I asked while walking around the room. Touching things occasionally, I got a better vibe and wasn't as freaked out from being closed in.

Kurama and Yusuke exchanged glances. They did that a lot. "We're not sure. Koenma ordered it."

"I don't like him very much."

"Join the club," Yusuke joked.

As I walked around, I came upon some closed curtains. I could see through them and saw a pair of glass doors. "Where's this lead?"

"Open it and find out," Kurama inquired.

Not before giving him a weird look, I parted the curtains and opened the doors. They swung open wide outward and I found myself standing on a beautiful white balcony overlooking the most breathtaking sight ever. "The ocean," I gasped. Stepping to the edge, I looked down and watched the rushing tide foam up against the sandy shore far, far below. Then I looked up and saw the sun, ablaze with dieing life, sinking slowly into the distant horizon.

It made me somewhat sad seeing the sun set.

Taking a deep breath, I inhaled the misty scent of fresh air laced with seaweed and salt. I felt alive. I felt rejuvenated. Unbelievably, I felt safe and free. "It's been too long," I whispered to no one in particular. Just being here made me want to jump. It made my burning desire to soar flare even hotter than before.

_I want to fly._

"Do you like your room?" Kurama asked. He was standing by the balcony door. His eyes were alight from the setting sun. Just for a second I thought he looked beautiful.

I gripped the stone ledge one last time before pushing myself away toward him. "Yeah. It's nice. I'm not worth the trouble, though. It's not like I'm staying long." He just smiled as I walked passed him. Yusuke and Kuwabara had left my room already, so it was just the redhead and me. I was making another sweep around the room when I remembered something. "Crap! Back in the woods! I left my-"

"Your bag? It's in the closet." Kurama stepped up to the closet and opened it. I was already there, though, and shoved him out of the way. "We didn't open it!"

I saw the ratty old jean bag hanging on one of the hangers. "Oh thank god." Taking it off the hanger, I sat down in the middle of the room and opened it. I breathed a sigh of relief. "It's here."

"What? You're clothes?"

"No." Pulling out something, I held it close to my chest then showed it to him.

"A feather?" Letting him hold it, he held it up to examine it closer. "This is rather big for a bird feather." The feather was rather long. Almost as long as his forearm. It was a deep black, but when he held it close to the light it glimmered blueish purple. The very tip was a rusty color.

I loved that feather.

Going back to my bag, I went on rambling. "I had that feather for as long as I can remember. Which mind you isn't very long. I found it one day tucked in my shirt. Since then I haven't been able to get rid of it for some reason." Even though I wasn't facing him, I could tell he was staring at me. "I also have this." Pulling out a little book, I placed it on the ground by his feet. "Look inside it." The book was about the size of a small handheld dictionary with a severely burnt cover.

Giving me back my feather, he picked up the book and opened it. The second his eyes laid upon the first page they widened in horror. "What…What is this?" With every turn of the little book's pages, the smaller his pupils got and the wider his eyes grew. "Keako?"

"Hey, that's the first time you've said my name. So I'm not totally evil." I looked up at him and saw the seriousness in his gaze. "Calm down. I was just making a point." Getting up, I figured I stood just below his shoulders, so I could peak at the book easily. "I found this in an abandoned warehouse. The men that are after me chased me inside, but couldn't find me. The place was bizarre and had all sorts of disgusting things. Shattered jars full of dismembered eyeballs or other organs, rooms full of decayed cages with skeletons inside, and I even found a nursery filled with dead babies."

Kurama's eyes looked back and forth between the book pages and me. I could read in those expressive eyes of his that he didn't know how to handle this. To tell the truth, I wasn't really sure how I was handling it. In the pages there were pictures of such dead babies and other children. On some of the pages there were skeletal designs with scribbled in commentaries beside them. _The perfect design._

That's what one page said.

"So, there really is a building out there doing things to children?" he asked, his voice shuddery as he looked straight at me.

"What? Did you think I was lying?" I answered his question with a question of my own. "Or did you think I was just making things up?"

"No," he murmured, "I just didn't think…"

"Well, try to sometime. You didn't think there could be such things going on?" Taking the book from his hands, I knelt and placed it back in my bag. Looking back up at him I said, "The world isn't a pretty place. Ugliness lies behind anything that seems beautiful." In the back of my mind, I found myself thinking, _That goes for you too pretty boy. That face of yours must have some ugliness behind it. _

There was a long silence between us. I could sense how uncomfortable he was toward me now. It didn't matter to me, really. There wasn't anything I was planning on building between us. No friendship. No loyalty. No trust. I wanted nothing of it. There was no need.

"I'll go prepare dinner now." Then he left.

I sat there. All alone. In my room. That sounded so funny. _My_ room. I looked around me, seeing how comfortable and at home this place could be. I saw how I could have a life here. How I could be safe.

Getting up again, I walked toward the bed and flopped down on it face down. I laid there for a long time. Letting myself sink into the covers of the bedding. Allowing my scent to cover this bed and the room around me.

_I can live here. I can start anew. I can be safe._ My laughter was caught in my throat as I scoffed at my own thoughts.

This place would soon be only a memory. Along with Yusuke, Kuwabara, Hiei, and especially Kurama. Only a memory.

Just like everything and everyone else.


	5. Terror of the Past, Dread of the Future

**Mutt:** Yo. Sorry for the small delay in posting this chapter. The loading thing is really pissing me off because it won't keep some of the _italics _sentences.

Well, like always. Please enjoy! And I'm still thanking Gothic-Fire-Wolf for the confidance to keep writing!

* * *

It's been about a week since my arrival in this house. So far, there hasn't been any trouble between the others and me. Well, besides Hiei maybe, but he wasn't around long enough to cause trouble. He and I were kind of alike in a way. We both liked our space and we expected people to know this and respect it. 

Unfortunately, Kuwabara and Yusuke seemed to have taken it upon themselves to be my babysitters or something. Every half hour, they come to my door, knock on it, and ask if I need anything. Sometimes they just come in and start rambling on about training and honing my demonic powers. I've made it a habit of increasing my aim by chucking pillows at their heads every time they so much as peak through my door.

"Keako?" There was a tap on my door and a calm voice behind it. It was Kurama.

"What?" I practically whined in response.

He opened the door and stepped in. His face was set in a slightly troubled expression. "It's been a week and all you've done is keep yourself up in your room."

"Is that a crime?" I asked while playing with a hole in one of the pillows on my bed. There was already a neat little pile of fluff beside my leg. "Plus, I've left my room plenty of times." What they didn't know was that I've been out of the house a lot. I mainly went at night so they didn't see me.

"No, but don't you think you should be training? You said there are men after you."

"If they haven't found me yet then they probably think I'm dead." Bored of picking out fluff, I got off the bed and walked passed Kurama out into the hall.

He made sure to keep a nice distance between us, but he followed me. "Where are you going?"

"Outside."

"Why?"

"I want to go swimming," I replied simply.

"Don't you have to chan-"

"I'm wearing the swimsuit under my clothes." I showed him the strap under my shirt. "See? I think ahead." _Sheesh Kurama. You guys are the ones who gave me this suit._ On my way down the stairs, we met Yusuke going up.

He spotted me and smiled. "Hey, where ya goin'?"

"Swimming." I didn't even stop to look at him.

"I wanna come!"

_Oh god…Why did I say anything?_

So now I had Kurama _and_ Yusuke following me. Let's just hope…

"Hey guys!"

_No!_

Kuwabara was at the bottom of the stairs. "Why are you guys following Keako?"

"We're going swimming!" Yusuke replied cheerfully. I feel almost stupid for fearing this guy in the beginning.

"Oh! Can I-"

"Ahhh!" Fed up with this bull, I bolted down the stairs and out the front door. Far behind me now, I could hear Kuwabara's startled scream. Bolting around the back of the house I took great leaps so I didn't trip over and land on my face as I went down the hill.

All the way down I began to discard random articles of clothing. First my socks, then my pants, my jean jacket, then my tank top. Yep, I did this all while still running. And not tripping! "Holy!" The second my foot touched sand the world tripped and I was on my face eating sand. A minute later I was barfing up sand and cursing in about twenty different languages. Some of them I think I made up along the way…Huh…My brain stopped.

"Hey! Keako!" Yusuke was calling me from atop the hill. It was quite obvious they saw my face plant. Not waiting for them, I got up and ran toward the water. "Hey!" I spared a quick glance over at them before diving headfirst into the salty water.

The water stung unmercifully in my old wounds on contact, some of them even starting to bleed, but I kept swimming farther and deeper into the warm abyss. The farther I seemed to swim, the less my wounds seemed to hurt. In fact, the liquid around me began to feel…soothing. Warm. Comforting. I finally stopped pulling myself forward and just floated there for a while just above the sandy bottom. My lungs hadn't even started to ache yet.

Reaching out in front of me, I opened my eyes and saw the ocean floor. The sand was extremely soft and durable as I stirred it slowly. I couldn't help but smile, little bubbles of air floated to the surface. It was so nice underwater. Peaceful. Everything was so clear. I could see far in front of me. Actually, I could see almost as clearly underwater as I could on land. There was a really cool reason to explain that. I had _special_ adaptations, you see.

"Keako!" I could hear my name being called. It was muffled and garbled, but I heard it nonetheless. Pressing my feet against the ground, I kicked up forcefully, glided upward swiftly, and broke the surface in seconds. I was surprised to see I swam a great distance from shore. It seemed so much closer underwater… "Hey, there she is!" Yusuke waved at me. He was standing on the beach dressed in nothing but a pair of blue swim trunks.

_Beautiful. I _really_ needed to see that._ Taking another breath of air, I dove under and swam toward shore. The closer I got, I hoped the bleeding had stopped and they wouldn't see my wounds. I wasn't in the mood to explain anything more about my past. I wanted to leave that alone.

_Remember. Beautiful. Secrets. Wings. Project. Remember. _

Kaleidoscope colors flashed behind my eyes as an immense pain exploded in my skull. It took all I had to keep from inhaling the water and drown. I did scream, though. I remembered all the air rushing out of my mouth at once as a high pitched keening sound rang around me.

The whispering was growing louder now, but no more coherent than before. _Flock. Secrets. Death. Help. Wings. Project. Why?_

_Someone! Someone help me!_ I couldn't move! My lungs were burning from lack of oxygen. The salt was stinging my ears and nose. I was drowning!

_Escape. Help. Project. Remember. Why? Why? Us. Forgotten. Help._

_No! I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die this way!_

_Neither did we, sister. _I was too scared already to be shocked at hearing this.

"One, two three…" 

_What's?…What's going on?_

"Breathe! Please breathe!"

_What's pressing on me? Is someone punching me?_

"Kurama, is she okay? Kurama!"

"Shut up Yusuke!" 

_Yusuke? Kurama?_ I was floating in darkness. I liked it. It felt safe in this darkness.

"Is Keako okay?"

"I said shut up!" Then the pressure was on my chest again. It was getting annoying. "One, two three…"

_What did he say? Is Keako okay? Yeah, I'm okay Yusuke. Just sleeping. I'll wake up later._

"Keako! Please!" Then I felt air blowing slowly inside of me. I never realized it, but I wasn't breathing before. So, who was sharing their breath with me?

Suddenly, my body convulsed and I began to choke up a lungful of water. It stung horribly as it came out my nose and my mouth. I couldn't move for a long time so I just choked and gagged. My head ached terribly and I was still seeing flashing lights dancing before my eyes. To add to my dreary situation, I had an annoying teenager screaming at me.

"Shut up!" I choked out. It sounded more like a croak, though. My throat was raw. It hurt to talk. I opened my eyes a slit, but the light assaulted my corneas so I shut them tight again. The salt only made them sting even worse.

"Keako?" It was Kurama's voice. "Keako, open your eyes."

"No."

"Please."

"No! I hurt." I felt pathetic. No. I felt like _death_! I had another freaking attack _underwater_! I almost _died_!

"Keako," he pleaded.

Shielding my face with my hands, I curled into an achy ball of pain and remained still. "No. I hurt." Hands touched my body and I instinctively flinched away. "No!" The touch itself felt like a thousand stabbing needles. I didn't want to feel that! "Don't touch me!"

_Get up, girl. You're making a scene._ This voice was foreign to my mind. It wasn't unusual to hear the normal whispers, but this one was clear as a bell Wait, I knew the voice. I heard it only once, but I remembered these things.

_Hiei? How can you get into my head? _No one answered me. _Fine. Go ahead. Be the moody little bastard I've come to know you as._ That's me. Pathetic, near death, and still ready to dish out insults on a dime. People just _love_ my personality.

"Keako?" Kurama and Yusuke were still looming over me. Kuwabara was blabbering incoherently in the background. Something about not wanting Botan to show up. Who in the hell was Botan? 

Opening my eyes, I kept my hands over them so the light didn't burn as much. I could see through the crevices of my fingers and I could plainly see the worried expression on both Yusuke and Kurama's faces. Why did I matter to them? I've done nothing at all to gain their trust. Or their concern. "Stop looking at me," I mumbled.

"Huh?"

"Back away from me." They did as I told. They both scooted back about a foot or two. Uncovering my eyes I tried to push myself up into a sitting position, but found it to be considerably hard to do. I was very weak. "Damn it."

Kurama was at my side in a second, his arm under me, and easing me up gently into a sitting position. "Here." He gave me a reassuring smile. "You don't have to do everything alone. We're here to help."

"Yeah, ya dork," Yusuke edged in as Kurama helped me stand.

Kuwabara looked at me with tear-filled eyes. "You're okay Keako! I thought you were done for! You weren't breathing and you were bleeding and-"

"I was bleeding?"

Kurama looked at me. "Your wounds are in need of medical treatment."

_Crap._ My heart rate increase. This stupid swimsuit showed my back and shoulders perfectly. Of course they would see!

"How fresh are these wounds? Why didn't you say anything? They look painful." I kept my eyes on the ground so he couldn't read them. My biggest fear was looking into his. His eyes were so expressive. So clear. I could read them easily. So easily that it hurt. "Where did you get these wounds, Keako?"

I didn't say anything as I felt my wounds ignite with sparks of pain from the salt water leaking down my back. They hurt. In fact, they'd hurt even if there wasn't salt touching them. They were wounds I got from my pursuers. Long vertical slash marks reaching from my shoulder blades to the base of my spine. There were four of them. They were deep, they were ragged, they didn't heal quickly, and they bled a lot.

_She doesn't trust us yet…_

_How did she get hurt? Was she attacked by a fish?… _

_I've to a lovely bunch of coconuts. There they are standing in a row…_

As I stood there, I heard multiple voices filter into my mind, but I knew these voices as well. They were Kurama, Yusuke, and Kuwabara! Why on earth was Kuwabara singing the--you know what. I didn't wanna know. Back to seriousness, how was I reading their thoughts? Was that what I was doing?

_What can I do to make her trust us? _Kurama's thoughts were the strongest. I listened for more. _I'd give anything for her to trust us. To trust me. Why does she close herself off from us? Why?_

For some reason, my heart ached severely when he said this. It was too much. No one was supposed to care for me. I was something to be looked at but not cared for. I wasn't even supposed to be with these people! But him, Kurama, he was hurting already just by me being here a couple days.

Why?

Maybe if I told him a little. Just a little. He'd feel a little better.

"Kurama," I sought for his attention., but refused to look at him. He was looking at me, though. I could feel it. "I…"

Yusuke's hands gripped Kurama and I by the shoulder. He shook me just slightly, careful of my wounds, and then pointed to the sky. "What in de hell is that?"

I was about to shove his hand off me when I looked up and saw what he was pointing at. My blood ran cold and the pain I was ailing to earlier seemed insignificant to the amount of fear I was feeling now. I could feel myself begin to tremble as I sharpened my gaze to zoom in on them. "No. No, no, no. Nonononono!"

"Keako, what's wrong?" Kurama was holding on tight to me as I tried backing away, shaking visibly now. "Keako?"

"We have to run! We have to get out of here. Safe. Somewhere safe!" Everything inside was screaming at me to run. Run far, far away and not look back. "Let go! We have to get out of here!" They were getting closer. Three of them. From the air. Their figures were growing large enough for the three here to see. "They're almost here!"

Yusuke stood in front of me with a cocky grin. "Chya. Why are you so afraid? You're with us. No one can defeat us."

"You cocky bastard! This is not the time to play hero!" I was almost on the verge of tears as I struggled to free myself from Kurama's grasp. "Let go of me!" I hated being afraid. I absolutely despised this vile emotion. It's what made me weak. And I was weak enough as it is.

"Why?" Kurama asked, his hold tightening. "Are these the guys who've harmed you?" I looked away. "Keako." I closed my eyes. "Why can't you look at me?"

"They're here," Yusuke announced. He didn't have to, though. I knew their scent anywhere. So when I opened my eyes, I wasn't as surprised.

"Hello Keako," Damien sneered, his large fangs gleaming in the evening sun. "It's time for us to take you home."

* * *

Please review! Thank you! Much cookies will be given! 


End file.
